About Me

A very warm welcome to the blog of Madhwa Brahmins community.We, Madhwa Brahmins are followers of Jagadguru Sriman Madhwacharya. We originally hail from places in Karnataka and the neighboring states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Our main dialects are Kannada, Tulu, Marathi, Telugu and Konkani.

As the above shloka from khila vAyustuti explains, Sri Madhwacharya (also known by the names Poornaprajna and Anandateertha) is the third incarnation of Lord MukhyaprAna Vaayu, after Lord Hanuman and Lord Bheemasena. He is the chief proponent of TattvavAda, popularly known as Dvaita. He was born on Vijayadashami day of 1238 CE at Paajaka Kshetra, a small village near Udupi. He is the 22nd commentator on the Brahma sutras of Lord Sri Veda Vyasa.

Kindly note that this blog contains important topics discussed in our Orkut community and some articles on tattvavAda philosophy. All the topics can be found in the BLOG ARCHIVE (right side)

Shriman
Madhwacharyaru initiated 8 shishyas into sanyasa and handed over the
responsibility of performing pooja of Udupi Krishna idol and spreading of
tattvavaada in the tauLava region. Later these 8 sanyasis received assets from
nearby villages, and thus formed 8 maThas with the same names as the names of
the villages. Thus Palimaru, Adamaru, Krishnapura, Puttige, Shiruru, Sode,
Kaniyuru and Pejavara maThas came to be known as the ashTa-maThas of Udupi.

(Note: Sode
maTha was earlier known as KumbhAshi maTha. During the time of Shri Vadirajaru,
the headquarters was shifted from Kumbhashi to Sode in UK district of
Karnataka)

Palimaru is
a pretty little village 35 km, from the temple town Udupi. It is just 10 km.
off, the NH 17 highway. The maTha is located in idyllic surroundings, where one
can forget the cares of the mundane world.

There is a
large well-maintained tank, adjacent to the eastern entrance of the maTha.
Right in front of this entrance is the shrine of Anjaneya (MuKhyaPraanNa), in
the sitting posture. The deity, is held in great awe and reverence, as the
protector of Madhwa Siddhaanta.

In the
inner shrine of the maTha is Shri Vedavyaasa – the incarnation of the Supreme
Lord Naaraayana, for imparting Jnaana (True knowledge) to the mortals — in the
yogic posture of YogapaTTaasana.

The MuKhya
PraaNa idol is believed to have been installed by Shri Raghupraveerateertha,
the 24th pontiff, during the 1780s, It is said the idol was discovered by him,
in the tank of the MuKhya PraaNa temple, at Ghatikaachala. He was a ‘Mantra
Siddha’ (a person who has mastered the Mantras and their application). He has
composed three hymns in Sanskrit, lauding the three incarnations of MuKhya
Praana – Hanuma, Bheema and Madhva.

Next to the
shrine of MuKhya Praana is the holy Vrindaavana of Shri Rajaraajeshwarateertha
who was the 7th pontiff. He was an accomplished poet and among his important
works are “Raama Sandesha” and a bunch of 8 benedictory verses known as
“MangalaashTaka”. This is regularly recited at Dawn. The mellifluous sound of
MangalaashTaka fills the air, preparing the residents to start another day of
pious living.

The
Vrindavanas of other pontiffs who presided over the MaTha are nearby. Among
these, particular mention should be made of Shri Raghuvaryateertha, who was the
20th pontiff. He was an unparalleled Vedaantic scholar. His contribution
towards, elucidating the Madhwa philosophy, was considerable.

The 30th
pontiff was H.H. Vidyaamaanyateertha, who was with us till the year 2000. He
was entrusted the responsibility of heading Palimaaru MaTha, in addition to
being the pontiff of Bhandaarkeri MaTha. He was the only pontiff, after H.H.
Vishnuteertha – the brother of Shrimadaachaarya – to be the head of two MaThas
concurrently. He had many path breaking activities to his credit. These are
being in an exclusive write-up on this saint, later.

The present
pontiff, who is the 31st in the lineage is H.H. Vidyaadheeshateertha. We are
all indeed fortunate to be contemporaries of this progressive minded Swaamiji,
with the ready smile. As we go along, we will have more opportunities to
interact and actively collaborate with him in the various programmes, he takes
up.palimarumatha

The MaTha
is amidst lush green, with gently swaying palms. Mother Nature, in all her
glory, invites one and all to come and enjoy pure bliss. The setting is ideal
for spiritual enquiry. It inspires profound thoughts. The words of Rigveda “Let
noble thoughts come to us from all sides” become a reality at Palimaaru MaTha!

Shri
Narasimha teertha, disciple of Shri Madhwacharya, was the first yati head of
Shri Admaru mutt. Shri Madhwacharya gave Shri Chaturbhuja Kaliya mardana Krishna
idol to Shri Narasimhateertha for worship.

Shri
Narasimhateertha parampare continued and known as Admaru mutt parampare. Shri
Chaturbhuja kaliya mardana Krishna worshipped by all Gurugalu, who came in the
peetha of Shri Admaru mutt. Now, it is being worshipped by Shri VishwapriyaTeertha,
present pontiff of Shri Admaru Mutt.

Shri Admaru
mutt pontiffs have contributed valuable, distinguished and relished gift to the
field of education as well as philosophical/religious field.

Acharya
Madhwa was touring in Adur where the circle of scholors who secured him to
explore treasure of the meaning of "Shri Vishnusahasranama" prayed
that he should accept bhiksha there itself and bless them. The reply he gave
for that revealed another aspect of the subtelet of dharma. There is no temple
for Vishnu here and not to accept the bhiksha in such a place is our vow. The
people realised and prayed Acharya Madhwa to install a Vishnu temple and make a
Vaisnava place. Acharya agreed and installed Lord Vishnu statue with a temple
while explosition of Shri Visnusahasranama become a premanent memorial. The
temple is next to Mahalingeshvara temple and its priest is a pure Vaishnava and
follower of Shri Admaru Matha.

Acharya
Madhwa got Sarvamulagrantha's inscribed on copper plates and made arrangement
so that they might not be destroyed in any manner near the Kattila, Sulya is a
place near Pane Mangaluru. The inscribed copper plates are buried in the pond
called VyasaTeertha and there is mutt near place and therin is a idol of Shri
Gopalakrishna. The place is under the control of Adamaru matha.

Guru
Parampara

1.Shri
Ananda Teertha

2.Shri
Narasimha Teertha

3.Shri
Kamalekshana Teertha

4.Shri
Ramachandra Teertha

5.Shri
Vidyadhisha Teertha

6.Shri
Vishvapati Teertha

7.Shri
Vishvesha Teertha

8.Shri
Vedanidhi Teertha

9.Shri
Vedaraja Teertha

10.Shri
Vidyamurthi Teertha

11.Shri
Vaikuntharaja Teertha

12.Shri
Vishvaraja Teertha

13.Shri
Vedagarbha Teertha

14.Shri
Hiranyagarbha Teertha

15.Shri
Vishvadhisha Teertha

16.Shri
Vishvavallabha Teertha

17.Shri
Vishvendra Teertha

18.Shri
Vedapathi Teertha

19.Shri
Vadindra Teertha

20.Shri
Vidyapathi Teertha

21.Shri
Vibudhapati Teertha

22.Shri
Vedavallabha Teertha

23.Shri
Vedavandya Teertha

24.Shri
Vidyesha Teertha

25.Shri
Vibudhavallabha Teertha

26.Shri
Vibudhavandya Teertha

27.Shri
Vibudhavarya Teertha

28.Shri
Vibudhendra Teertha

29.Shri
Vibudhadhiraja Teertha

30.Shri
Vibudhapriya Teertha

31.Shri
Vibudhamanya Teertha

32.Shri
Vibudhesha Teertha

33.Shri
Vishvapriya Teertha

34.Shri
Ishapriya Teertha

Shri Krishnapura
MaTha

The third
maTha under Udupi aShTa maThas is Shri KrishnApura MaTha. It has its main
branch in the village KrishnApura near Surathkal in DK district, Karnataka. The
first yati of this maTha was Shri Janaardana teertha, a direct disciple of Shri
Madhwacharya.

The icon of
Kaliya mardana Krishna with two hands was gifted to the first yati by Shri Madhwa.
The icon is in the attractive pose of Krishna as a child with one leg on the
serpent Kaliya and the other leg lifted up. He is holding the tail of the
serpent in his left hand. His right hand is in the mudra of abhaya to those who
are afraid of the poison.

At the
request of Shri Janaardana teertha, Shri Madhwa had also given him another
icon. It is of Shri Ugra Narasimha who is in the pose of holding Hiranyakashipu
on his lap and tearing away his stomach with two hands. The remaining six hands
hold various weapons. At the foot of this eight handed ferocious Narasimha is
the tiny Prahlada standing with folded hands.

The first
yati head of Puthige maTha was Shri Upendra Teertha. He was very dear to
Acharya Madhva and served him with a lot of devotion. When Acharya and his
disciples were on their second pilgrimage to Badri, they were attacked by a
band of robbers. Under the Acharya’s inspiration and with his blessings, Shri
Upendra Teertha fought with the robbers and single-handedly drove them away!
Such was the power of the grace of Acharya on Sri Upendra Teertha. Acharya gave
Shri Upendra Teertha an icon of Lord Panduranga Vittala.

The lineage
following Sri Upendra Teertha is the one that we today know as Sri Puthige
Matha and the main icon illuminating Sri Puthige Matha is the Lord Panduranga
Vittala given by Acharya Madhwa.

Shri
Upendra Teertha was succeeded by Shri Kavindra Teertha, followed by Shri
Hamsendra Teertha and others. The early part of the twentieth century saw Shri
Sudhindra Teertha. He lived over 100 years, and performed puja to Lord Krishna
in 4 paryaayaas. He started several institutions and is revered even today. He
was followed by Shri Sugnanendra teertha, and later by Shri Sugunendra teertha,
the present pontiff. With the advent of Shri Sugunendra teertha, the 30th
Pontiff, began the golden age of the Puthige Matha.

The fifth
maTha among the ashTha maThas of Udupi is Shri Shirur maTha. The main branch of
this maTha is in a village called Shirur in Udupi district. The first yati was
Shri Vaamana teertha, one of the direct disciples of Shriman Madhwacharya. The
main idol worshipped in this maTha is that of Shri ViThala with Shridevi and
Bhudevi, which was presented to the first peeThAdhipati by ShriMadhwa himself.

The 6th
maTha among the Udupi aShTa maThas is the Sode maTha. Two great yatis of all
times have adorned the peeTha of this maTha. They are Shri Vishnu teertha and
Shri Vadiraja teertha.

Shri Vishnu
teertha was the first peeThAdhipati of Sode maTha. He was the younger brother
of Shri Madhwacharya in poorvAshrama. He is still said to be alive and
performing tapasya at the Kumaradri hills near Kukke Subrahmanya. In distant
future he is supposed to revive the Tattvavaada philosophy once again, which by
then would have become extinct. For this same purpose Shri Madhwacharya is
believed to have preserved his sarvamoola granthas on copper plates, and buried
them in a place called Kadtila or Setutila. Incidentally, Shri Vishnu teertha
is also the founder of Kukke Subrahmanya maTha.

Shri Sode
maTha is unique amongst the Udupi aShTa maThas in the sense that its
headquarter is situated at a place called Sonda in Uttara Kannada district,
Karnataka, whereas all the remaining 7 maThas have their headquarters in Udupi
district itself. Interestingly, this maTha was originally known by the name
KumbhAshi maTha, with main branch at KumbhAshi near Udupi. (ShriVadiraja
teertha’s birth place Huvinakere is very near to KumbhAshi.) But during the
time of Shri Vadiraja, the main branch of this maTha got shifted to Sode, and
then onwards it came to be known as Sode maTha.

The main
deity of Sode maTha is Shri BhUvarAha, presented to Shr iVishnu teertha by Shri
Madhwacharya himself. This idol is known for its beautiful iconography with one
thigh of VarAha supporting BhUdEvi, and another leg on the hood of a serpent.
Along with this idol, the idol of Lord Hayagreeva is also worshiped in this
maTha, which was presented by a local goldsmith to Shri Vadiraja.

Shri
Kaniyooru Matha is one among the eight Mathas established by Shri Madhwacharya.
Shri Rama Theertha, a direct disciple of Shri Madhwacharya is the first pontiff
of Kaniyooru matha. Since then, there were 29 pontiffs who ably led Kaniyooru
Matha and added to the glory of Matha. Shri Rama Theertha, the first pontiff of
Kaniyooru Matha was given with idol of Shri Yoganarasimha, which is being
worshipped with atmost respect and divotion as the main deity of Kaniyooru
matha. In addition to this, another Narasimha idol known as “Karala Narasimha”,
worshipped by Shri Madhwacharya and given to Trivikrama Pandithaacharya which
later came to Shri Kaniyooru matha is also being worshipped as “Pattada devaru”
in Kaniyooru Matha. Apart from these two main deities, Garudavaahana
Lakshminarasimha and Acharya Madhwa kararchita Shri Gopalakrishna idols are
being worshipped as “Pattada devaru”. Along with these deities known as
“Pattada Devaru”, Shri Vedavyasa, Shri Vittala, Shri Ramachandra, Shri Kadagolu
Krishna, are also being worshipped.

It is a
matter of pride and honor for Kaniyooru Matha that, a holy place near Udupi,
Pajaka Kshetra, where shri Madhwacharya was born, is managed by Kaniyooru
Matha. There are a few historical monuments at Pajaka Kshetra, like foot prints
of Shri Madhwacharya, the place where Acharya Madhwa killed Manimantha who had
disguised in the form of a snake, the big slabs of stones which Acharya Madhwa
had kept over vessels of milk and curd in his childhood days and the like are
preserved and being worshipped with due respect. During the tenure of Shri
Varijaksha Theertha, a Contemporary of Shri Vadiraja Theertha of Shri Sode
Vadiraja Matha, the idol of Shri Madhwacharya was installed by Shri Vadiraja
Theertha, at Pajaka beside the footprint of Shri Madhwacharya.

Under the
able leadership of Shri Vidyavallabha Theertha Swamiji, Matha has seen
developments in many aspects in the recent past, adding to the glory of Kaniyooru
Matha. Shri Swamiji has shown keen interest to develop the birth place of
Acharya Madhwa with the generous help extended by devotees of Shri
Madhwacharya. Also Shri Swamiji has developed Udupi branch of Matha. There are
many more plans in the mind of Shri Swamiji which are aimed at benefitting the
society.

Pejavara, is a small village in
Mangalore taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. The primary matha of Pejavara
matha, one among Udupi's eight matha is located here. Sri Vittala, given by
Madhvacharya is the throne God here. Sri Adhokshajatheertha was Madhvacharya's
disciple. Since the period of Sri vijayadhvajatheertha, Vibheeshana kararchita
ramadeva has been worshiped along with lord Vittala. Aja Vittala and lord Rama
are retained as the Throne God. According to the tradition, among the disciples
of Sri madhvacharya from eight matha when Sri hrushikeshatheertha (Palimar
Math) stands first, Sri adhokshajatheertha (Pejavara Math) remains the last.

The sixth disciple as per tradition,
Sri Vijaya theertha is the mahathapasvi who wrote the great interpretation for
bhagavatha. He had the qualities of shukumuni. Apart from Udupi, there are
branches in Pejavara, kanvatheertha too. Kaniyuru Matha is the dvandva matha
for Pejavara Matha. The system of dvandva matha of Pejavara matha was
introduced in kaniyoor matha too by Acharya Madhva. The Paryaya which starts
from Palimar Matha ends with paryaya of ashtaka Pejavara Matha. Pejavara Matha
has had 34 yathi's until today.

Till now 30 rounds of ashtaka
paryaya has been conducted. Currently 31st Ashtaka Paryaya is being carried on.
It shall end with Pejavara matha paryaya in 2016 and begin with 32nd Palimaru
matha paryaya.

Besides the
8 maThas of Udupi, there are two more maThas coming under the category of tauLava
maThas (from the tulu-speaking belt). One is ShriBandarakeri maTha, which is
headquartered at BARKUR in Udupi district.

Shri Bandarakeri
maTha traces its origin from ShriAchyutha prajna, and then through Shri Madhwacharya
and Shri Sathya teertha. The same maTha is said to have bifurcated into Shri Bheemana
kaTTe maTha (of Theerthahalli taluk).

When Shri
Vadirajaru was the head of Sode MaTha, at that time his poorvashrama younger
brother Shri Surottama Teertha was heading Bhandarakeri MaTha

The 31st
peeThAdhipati Shri Vidyamanya Teertha was a great scholar. Some of his
prominent disciples are:

Located on
the foothills of the Sahyadri Mountains and on the banks of Kumara Dhaara river
in Sulya Taluk, the Subrahmanya Matha in Kukke is the home to the Samputa
Narasimha. The story behind the creation and the signficance of the name of the
Kumara Dhaara River is itself very interesting. As legend goes, when King
Indradyumna was performing some Yajnas, Bhoodevi appeared on to earth in the
form of Mahanadhi. This Mahanadhi was later called the Dhaara river. It later
came to be known as Kumara Dhaara because Lord Subrahmanya (also known as
Kumara) was appointed as the Commander in Chief of Gods by anointing him with
the water from this river.

Sri
Madhwacharya gave Sanyasa Initiation to Sri Vishnu Theertharu (his brother) and
made him the head of the Matha. Sri Vishnu Theertharu left behind the Samputa
Narasimha, Vyaasa Mushti, Vithala and Rukmini and Satyabhama, and a smiling
Lakshmi Narasimha to the Matha. Many people believe that Sri Vishnu Theertharu
is still performing prayers and penance in the Siddha Parvatha since no one has
been successful in finding his brindavana. It is also said that initially, Sri
Vishnu Theertharu had carried the Samputa with him, but ended up sending it
back to the Matha via the Kumara Dhaara River at the request of Sri Aniruddha
Theertharu.

When Sri
Aniruddha Theertharu was serving as the first pontiff of this Matha, the then
king (of the local area) Ballalraaya tried to break open the Samputa by placing
it under an elephant's feet. Instead of the Samputa breaking open, the elephant
died on the spot. The apologetic and regretful King realized his mistake and
donated his monetary possessions to the Matha. Sri Madhwacharya gave Sanyasa
Initiation to Sri Vishnu Theertharu (his brother) and made him the head of the
Matha. Sri Vishnu Theertharu left behind the Samputa Narasimha, Vyaasa Mushti,
Vithala and Rukmini and Satyabhama, and a smiling Lakshmi Narasimha to the
Matha. Many people believe that Sri Vishnu Theertharu is still performing
prayers and penance in the Siddha Parvatha since no one has been successful in
finding his brindavana. It is also said that initially, Sri Vishnu Theertharu
had carried the Samputa with him, but ended up sending it back to the Matha via
the Kumara Dhaara River at the request of Sri Aniruddha Theertharu.

The maTha
parampara of Shri Padmanabha Teertharu, the direct disciple of Shri
Madhwacharyaru, was continued by Shri Narahari Teertharu, Shri Madhava
Teertharu, Shri Akshobhya Teertharu, Shri Jaya Teertharu and Shri Vidyadhiraja
Teertharu. Shri Vidyadhirajaru had two sanyasi shishyas. The parampara of the
first disciple Shri Rajendra Teertharu came to be known as Poorvadi MaTha. The
same parampara was then called by the name Shri Vyasaraja MaTha because of the
illustrious Shri Vyasaraja Teertharu who adorned the peeTha.

Shri
Vyasarajaru was the greatest philosopher-statesman in recent history with a
scintillating intellect and multifaceted personality which is not often fully
appreciated. The entire Daasa Koota, with its bevy of great
musician-teacher-reformers, which had the widest reach into common people, came
into being because of thie great yati.

The maTha
parampara of Shri Padmanabha Teertharu, the direct disciple of Shri
Madhwacharyaru, was continued by Shri Narahari Teertharu, Shri Madhava
Teertharu, Shri Akshobhya Teertharu, Shri Jaya Teertharu and Shri Vidyadhiraja
Teertharu. Shri Vidyadhirajaru had two sanyasi shishyas. The parampara of the
second disciple Shri Kaveendra Teertharu later came to be known by the name
Shri Raghavendra Swami MaTha because of the great yati Shri Raghavendra
Teertharu who adorned the peeTha.

It is in
Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt, that the Vigraha of Shri MoolaRama, originally
worshipped by Shri Chaturmukha Brahma, the Vigraha of Shri Digvijaya Rama,
originally worshipped by Shri Madhvacharya, the Vigraha of Shri JayaRama,
originally worshipped by Shri Jayateertha, are being worshipped with devotion
and gaiety, by the various Pontiffs, of this Parampara.

The maTha
parampara of Shri Padmanabha Teertharu, the direct disciple of Shri
Madhwacharyaru, was continued by various illustrious yatis like Shri Narahari
Teertharu, Shri Madhava Teertharu, Shri Akshobhya Teertharu, Shri Jaya
Teertharu, and so on. The tenth yati in the lineage Shri Ramachandra Teertharu,
who is common to both SRS Mutt and Uttaradi Mutt had two sanyasi shishyas namely
Shri Vibudhendra Teertha and Shri Vidyanidhi Teertha. The lineage of Shri
Vibudhendra Teertharu went on to become Shri Raghavendra MaTha, as seen before.
The lineage of Shri Vidyanidhi Teertharu came to be known as Shri Uttaradi
MaTha.

The main
maTha parampara of Shri Padmanabha Teertharu, the direct disciple of Shri
Madhwacharyaru, was continued by yatis like Shri Narahari Teertharu, Shri
Madhava Teertharu, Shri Akshobhya Teertharu, Shri Jaya Teertharu, and so on. Shri
Padmanabha Teertharu had initiated another yati by name Shri Lakshmidhara Teertharu.
This lineage continued in parallel to the main maTha parampara, and is known by
the name “Shreepadaraja MaTha” because of the illustrious yati Shreepadarajaru
who adorned the peeTha later.

Shri Partagali
Jeevottama maTha is headquartered at Partagali in Canacona (Goa). The presiding
deities are Shri Rama devaru and Shri Veera Vitthala devaru. The maTha was
established by Shri Narayana teertharu on Chaitra shukla dwiteeya in 1475 AD
with the blessings from Shri Ramachandra teertha, the 12th head of Udupi
Palimaru maTha. The maTha came to be known as Jeevottama maTha because of the
third yati Shri Jeevottama teertharu. The maTha has branches in many cities in
Karnataka, Goa and other states of India.

Shri Kashi
MaTha was founded in the year 1542 AD. Before the Mutt came into existance,
most of the Vaishnava Gouda Saraswat Brahmins were the followers of Shri
Raghavendra Swami MaTha. During the time of Shri Surendra Teertharu, the
fourteenth yati of SRS MaTha, his disciple Shri Vijayeendra Teertharu undertook
a Chaturmasya at Kochi during 1539–1540. Here, shreegalu selected Shri Hanumantha
Bhaktha as shishya and gave deeksha to him as Shri Yadavendra Teertha.

Shri Yadavendra
Teertharu founded Shri Kashi Mutt at Varanasi in 1542 AD and became the first
head of the MaTha. SRS MaTha gave two idols of Shri Vedavyasa and Shri Raghupati
to Shri Yadavendra Teertha along with the rights to guide the Gouda Saraswats. Today
Shri Kashi MaTha has branches all over India.

The first
yati of Shri Kanva MaTha was Shri Madhava Teertharu. His childhood name was
Shri Venkatesha Acharya. Once Shri Shesha devaru came in the dream of Venkateshacharya
and told him that in a few days a yati from a parampara of Madhwacharyaru will
come to your town go to him and request sanyasa from him and preach Hari
sarvottamatva. In a few days Shri Lakshmimanohara teertharu, the 25th yati of Shri
Shiroor maTha came to Surpur. Shreegalu was dumbstruck seeing the glowing face
of Venkateshacharya and understood he is no common man. Shreegalu took him to Udupi
and gave sanyasa to Venkateshacharya. Hence Shri Kanva MaTha came into existence.